A Washington DC matchmaker blogs about life & love in the real world

What My Roommate Doesn’t Know

If you’ve never shared a room before, meeting your college roommate for the first time can be an especially frightening experience. Whether they instantly become your new bestie or literally the worst thing to ever happen to you ever – you’ll eventually go your separate ways and start living with people whom you choose to share quarters with.

I like to think I’m a pretty good roommate. I’m super easy going and act like a total doormat 90% of the time. I have a pretty abysmal sense of style (see: leggings post) so I have no opinion about furniture or decorating. I keep my room neat and hate dirty anything so I do my dishes regularly and vacuum common areas. And, I try to be considerate. Like – if I know my roommate and her boyfriend haven’t seen each other in a week or two, I try to give them some privacy to do… um…whatever they need to do. Common courtesy.

But sometimes, once in a blue moon, I morph into a less than ideal living partner. When my roommate leaves town for a couple of days I’m careless, sloppy, and selfish. Dishes pile up in the sink with oatmeal caked onto the edges of the bowls. Yogurt containers overflow in the trashcan emitting their sour, milky odor. Tumbleweeds of dust and hair dance across the hardwood floors because I’m too lazy to pick up a vacuum and do what needs to be done.

Does this ultimately mean I’m a dirty person who fakes neatness for the sake of my roommate? Or am I actually a clean girl with the occasional messy lapse in neuroticism?